CENTURION STREETFIGHTER

[crudebuteffective]

In June 1967 under American pressure Britain reversed its decision to withdraw from the Aden protectorate but with the deteriorating fighting conditions in the built up area THE CRATER the royal marine armoured support squadron was despatched

The RMASS was equipped with ten centurion Mk 4 close support tanks with its short barrelled 20 pdr   (developed in 1957 following "suez" allowing better use from landing craft) the tanks were each named after a RM VC winner

To deal with the mixture of civil disorder and insurgents equipped by Nassers Egypt, the centurions were modified for the deployment included a barricade clearer, enclosing the commander's cupola with the turret of a ferret armoured car, extra searchlights and an anti-climb devise that was nothing more than an electrified wire running round the hull

All of these items necessitated the addition of another generator on the rear of the hull as the on board Morris engine didn't generate enough power if the main Meteor engine wasn't running

To confuse spotting in the streets and long range from the hills around the vehicles were painted in an urban pattern that soon became known as "alleyways n windows"

This is the 12th centurion I have built using the old airfix centurion kit ( a kit with many inaccuracies and little detail but this makes it ideal for crude but effective modification) this is the first what if, the others are all real world  

not 100% finished but heres so far






THE GENERATOR AND REAR GRENADE LAUNCHERS

[Rheged]

One can imagine  these Royal Marine vehicles "maintaining the Queen's peace" in Aden, backed up  by  a few Bedfords full of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.  The reincarnation of the Second World War  "Plymouth Argylls" perhaps?

[NARSES2]

Nice, I like that 

[PR19_Kit]

That sounds very believable indeed, are you sure it didn't REALLY happen like that? 

And I love the Centurion upgrade, the tank I always remember as a kid.

[deathjester]

Wow!!  I like it!!  Nicest looking Centurion I've seen this year - definetely a should have been!!

[pyro-manic]

Excellent concept and backstory, and very nicely modelled!

[dadlamassu]

Good idea - a bit like the RM Centaurs on D-Day.  And probably a very useful conversion.  We had similar vehicles in the Kuwait War (Gulf War 1) though they had a 165mm demolition howitzer,


The Jordanians have an interesting camouflage along similar lines

[crudebuteffective]

Hi

one of my 12 real world centurion models is an AVRE with the 165mm but they were royal engineers

that didnt fit with my RM story which was based on the centaur idea as you guessed

CBE

[kerick]

I believe the rectangular block urban camo was put to good use by the Berlin Brigade.
http://www.emlra.org/index.php/articles/berlin-brigade-urban-paint-scheme
Your project is very interesting, nice imagination!

[crudebuteffective]

hi kerick

you mean like this

[Weaver]

I like that - nice mods.

[dadlamassu]

The Swedish had the Pz 58 tank with a 20mm Oerlikon cannon 100 calibres long mounted co-axially with the main gun.



The original Centurion also had a 20mm but in a separate mounting:

[Go4fun]

If it's a street fighter it needs big switchblades on the front!
But it is a cool build. 

[Pellson]

The Swedish had the Pz 58 tank with a 20mm Oerlikon cannon 100 calibres long mounted co-axially with the main gun.

The SWISS, for the love of God! The Swedish used the Centurion at that time, and actually with time modernized it in a way only the Iraelis ever would contest.

Summarizing:

• Switzerland: Mountaneous, everything is chocolate watches or not-anymore-so-secretive banks.
• Sweden: Vikings, Volvo cars and SAAB 39 Gripen (does the same job as the Typhoon, but on half the weight, for half the price and a third of the fuel bill. Also maintained by a tenth of the crew..)
  

OK? 

[crudebuteffective]

yes the swedes did a brilliant centurion upgrade but the cam is a pig to paint